HOT SEAT

Prakash Mishra,
Director-general of police, Odisha

After you took over as DGP earlier this month, there were speculations that Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda would surrender. You had also appealed to him to give up arms and join the mainstream but he has refused to do so. What will be your next course of action?

The police would be extremely happy if people who have taken to Left wing extremism see for themselves that it is not yielding any result. There is no ideology. The movement has basically boiled down to plain criminality. I appeal to the tribal youths not to be misguided by the Maoist cadres of other states and return to the mainstream. We have a lot of scope for them to develop. As far as Sabyasachi is concerned, we all have heard how he has been alienated by the Maoist cadres of other states and is trying to float his own party. How far he would be successful is anybody’s guess. But Sabyasachi has no future in Maoism. So, in his own interest, he should join the mainstream.

There has been a spurt in Maoist activities in Odisha. Do you feel this is because of lack of coordination between the Centre and state government in tackling the Maoists?

I don’t think so. We have been carrying out joint operations for a long time, changing our strategy off and on. The state-level unified command looks into how the state police and central paramilitary forces can effectively deal with the Maoist challenge.

To counter Maoists and vigilante groups such as Salwa Judum, the Chhattisgarh government armed tribal people and gave them special police officer (SPO) status. As a result the government faced criticism. The recruitment of tribal youths as SPOs in Odisha has, thus, sparked off a controversy.

We have recruited about 4,500 tribals as SPOs just to provide them employment. They are not being used for anti-Maoist operations. Soon, a state auxiliary cell will be set up where the SPOs will be used for basic policing.

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report last year said there was a huge shortfall of strike weapons in the state. Modern arms and ammunition weapons are dumped in storehouses and armouries because of lack of trained personnel. So, how can the police expect to deal with the Maoists?

I don’t know what kind of weapons are lying idle but forces deployed for anti-Maoist operations are properly armed.

Don’t you think one chopper is insufficient for Maoist operations?

We are not supposed to use air power in a civil conflict such as this. We need a chopper as a standby for casualty operations. I have taken this up with the Centre and they are willing to give us choppers for major operations.

The state’s intelligence wing has drawn a lot of flak, especially after its failure to report on the coup attempt by suspended BJD dissident leader Pyari Mohan Mohapatra. You headed the wing for about a year in 2009-10. What are your plans to strengthen it?

Intelligence is a subject that has to patch up with technology and needs trained manpower. It needs time because it involves advanced training for developing the right kind of aptitude in people.

The Odisha government effected a second reshuffle in the higher echelons of police administration within a gap of less than 10 days. Some of the earlier transfer orders were modified with four IPS officers getting new postings. Is it true they were transferred again as they allegedly had vested interests in organisations they were investigating?

I have heard such rumours too but the transfers have nothing to do with that. When you make such a long transfer list, some errors creep in. That needed rectification.

The police have been at the receiving end of public ire for alleged custodial torture and deaths. How will you ensure that these incidents are not repeated?

There were two instances in Bhubaneswar before I joined. The inquiry is on. I am focussing on regular surprise checks by senior officers at different police stations to keep tabs on people being detained.

What plans have you chalked out to ensure better policing in Odisha?

My focus is on basic policing issues that seem to have been forgotten. Proper investigation, grievance redressal, inspection, surprise checks, etc. are some age-old policing methods that have fallen into disuse. This needs to be rectified.

What is your view on political interference/pressure in police functioning?

People may ask why you are talking to a political functionary, why is he bringing forth grievances and asking you to do something, but that is not political interference per se. We are a democracy and it is natural for people’s representatives or political figures to voice people’s problems before the authorities concerned. This is healthy interaction.

But what about cops regularly visiting politicians at their places? Or running personal errands for them?

I would not like to comment on specific instances.

Cop made of steel

• Soft spoken but steely, Prakash Mishra, 56, is the director-general of police, Odisha

• Born and brought up in Bhubaneswar, Mishra is a 1977 batch officer with an impeccable career record, having served in several important wings of the state police before leaving on central deputation towards the end of 2010

• Besides government of India postings, Mishra has worked in key positions in Odisha including DIG-Crime Branch and director of sports and youth services before being appointed as the DG-cum-director of the state intelligence wing in 2009 and DG-home guards and fire services in 2010

• After this, he took up the important central posting in the National Investigation Agency and also held the post of DG, National Disaster Response Force and civil defence. Last month, the Odisha government wrote to the Union ministry of home affairs requesting for his release to the state. He was then appointed the new DG of police on July 4

• He is a recipient of the President’s Medal for distinguished service and governor’s medal. He has supervised the investigation of the murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two minor sons in Keonjhar, killing of Doordarshan
station director and air force personnel in Srinagar and the kidnapping of Rubaiya Sayeed, daughter of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed

• He has written several articles and co-authored a book Ethical Issues in Policing in India published by the National Police Academy

WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE BEEN HAD YOU NOT BEEN AN IPS OFFICER?

I had never thought of this question.

I used to teach earlier. Probably, I would have continued to be in that profession.

I never really had a particular ambition in mind when I was young because during our time, there were not too many career choices before us.

Civil service was considered as the best option.

After completing my post graduation from the Utkal University, I got into teaching for about six months and then appeared for the Indian Police Services (IPS) exam. I was, perhaps, destined to become a police officer.